I want to start by thanking you all for your patience with me over the past few weeks, as I've teased and foreshadowed a big announcement that's going to affect not only my life, but this blog as well. You've waited (some of you not as patiently as others!) long enough, so here it is:
Yes, that means what you think it does. I am leaving my job to stay at home full-time with G. I informed my bosses about my decision a few weeks ago, but was hesitant to talk about my career-altering move here until all the pieces were in place.
In a way, I feel like I'm "selling out"-- let me explain what I mean by that. Over the past year (yeah, I missed my first blogiversary sometime in July... oops!), many of you have reached out to me, sharing your "working mommy" stories. You've thanked me for my candid opinions on being both a full-time mom and a full-time employee; I've appreciated-- nay, cherished-- those comments. They've really validated the "career woman" in me, and gave me hope that maybe I was doing the right thing for myself and my family.But over the past six months-- particularly since July, when I switched to second shift, giving me far more time with G-- I've come to see my place not in a TV newsroom, but at home with my daughter. Honestly, for the first 18 months of her life, I didn't know what I was missing; maybe I wasn't missing all that much. But as her intellectual development has started to take off, she's beginning to need me more than ever: not the "physical" neediness of an infant, but the "role model" neediness of a growing girl. I realized that I didn't want anybody other than me, no matter how much I love or respect that other person, to be G's primary caregiver or role model.
Additionally, this is a brutal time in the TV news business. I have coworkers who have been forced out of a job over as little as $3,000. On top of that, my hours are getting longer, my overtime shifts more frequent, and my patience with an evolving industry wearing thin. I came to a stark realization about two months ago-- why was I leaving the people I loved to go to a job I didn't? The stress I've taken on professionally in the past year has become overwhelming; it was affecting my family, my friends, and my health. I felt like I was at a breaking point.
It's funny, because a year ago when I started this blog, I was asked by one of you if I'd ever contemplated staying at home. At the time, I vehemently said, "absolutely not." I felt confident that pulling double-duty as a working mom was for me. After all, I'd shelled out close to $200,000 for my education, and I felt I had to put it to good use. But what better way to benefit from my education than by teaching my daughter?
So, for the next few years at least, I am hanging up my suits, shoving my high heels in the back of the closet, and eschewing the 7am wake up call in exchange for play dates, ABCs, and trips to the library. I plan to give G the experiences my own mother gave me as a stay-at-home mom nearly 30 years ago. Those are days I absolutely cherish-- morning with her at the museum, afternoons at the park, weekends at the pool. I not only learned a ton about the world around me, but I learned a lot about the kind of woman my mother is as well. Now, I hope to do the same for my daughter.
As I transition from "working" to "stay-at-home" mom (this won't be happening immediately; I've told my bosses I'd stay on until they can hire my replacement, or Dec. 23rd-- whichever comes first), you'll notice some changes to this blog. I'm going to be writing a lot more openly about my job and what I loved/hated about it and being a working mom in general; I'll be talking a lot about finances and ways I've found to budget on a single income; I'll be talking about my emotions as I move forward with a decision I couldn't have imagined making just a year ago.
I hope you'll join me on this ride. I hope you'll add your two cents, whether they be positive or negative. If you're a working mom, I hope you won't feel I've abandoned you. If you're a stay-at-home mom, I hope you'll welcome me to your tribe.
Here's to the future-- it's coming on pretty fast!
(Oh, and just to clarify... I am not going to change the URL of my blog... I paid good money for it! I am going to be reformatting my header and my blog button. I'm thinking of renaming my blog "Confessions From A FORMER Working Mom"-- what do you think?)
This entry was posted
on Monday, August 30, 2010
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What an exciting time for you! I bet you will be able to have a lot of blog posts about moving from working to SAHM. I think that will help a lot of people :)
You must be excited!!!! Good luck in your new move!!
Good for you! So exciting, congratulations! I'd love to talk with you more about your decision at some point if you're willing.
It's about time! ;) Yes, add the former, I love it. Congrats to you, girl. You're going to love it!
Definitely a big transition for you! Looking forward to reading about it!
Wow. What a big decision. Good luck!
So excited for you!! WOOHOO!!
And I love the new title idea, too!
Wow! I am so happy for you. Congratulations!!!
I can't wait to hear more about your almost former job...and I love the new blog title idea!!
congrats!!! that's awesome!! i will admit i might be a tiny bit jealous. but i feel i walked this blogging/working/mommy road with you!!
i have a friend who actually had the same job as me (on the other side of the country but we did the same thing) when i found out she gave up her job to be a SAHM, i was jealous... so jealous. like, how was everyone becoming a SAHM but me??? am i missing something??? why am i working??? and i missing out???
i still have those thoughts only not as often. I think that for whatever reason, God has called me to be where I am. I teach my kids, love and play with them, but i'm also making an impact on kids' lives at work... kids who might not have positive parenting at home.
anyway, i can't wait to hear you talk more about your journey. don't be a stranger!!!
WOW!
Glad that you feel things are falling into place.
Haven't been around for awhile and then when I get back around this is what you post...it will be loads of fun and even harder work than you realized (in a good way).
Congrats to you for your courageous decision. This will be a great time for you and your daughter--and having a transition is a good idea.
CONGRATS!!! I'm so jealous! I long for the day when i can be a SAHM!
I am sure you will love being a stay-at-home Mommy, sounds like you put a lot of thought into this! :)
Yay!!! I'm proud to stay home and I thnk what you're doing is amazing and very very rewarding....
Good luck and I will stay tuned to hear all about the transition!
CONGRATS!!! I wish you all the best. And I love your possible new blog title...way cute and so fitting for you!
YAY! I knew it. And no, you're not a traitor to working moms - you're a modern mom who knows how to evolve when the needs of her family - and herself - change...that's to be applauded, not to be felt guilty about :)
Congrats on this new endeavor..I'll definitely be following along. I recently went from FT to very PT, so I'm a bit in the same boat, particularly with regards to finances! I'll be very interested on tips for living on a single income!
A whole-hearted WELCOME TO THE TRIBE from me!! You won't ever regret this. Your daughter is so lucky. And trust me, as someone who also paid a lot for her education, you didn't waste a penny. Everything you learned at university and in your soon-to-be-former career will benefit her more than it ever would an employer. And someday you'll re-enter the career world and you'll back at this time with G as if it were a blink. It goes by so fast. Big round of applause for you!
Congratulations and good luck as you enter this new season of life! All Moms work (whether it be inside or outside the home or both), so you're still a "working" Mommy to me!
Mary Ellen
Congratulations! Sounds like the right decision for you and your family!
I've recently quit my job also (only part time though) and am still getting used to not working outside the house.
It will be a transition - but our kids are only young for a short period of time!
Congrats! I am super jealous! Way to go for following your heart and making it happen. I hope you can make it work for you.
I am so excited for you Elizabeth. Becoming a stay at home mom is the most rewarding job I have ever had. Is it stressful? Yes. Is it frustrating? A lot of the time. Do I miss working? Absolutely. But there is no place that I would rather be than raising my daughters to be the young ladies that I hope they will become.
Kudos to you for what I am sure was a very hard decision.
Congrats to you! What an awesome change that will be happening for your family :) I dream of being a stay at home mom and maybe one day I will get there too!!
I am looking forward to watching you transition into life at home full-time.
Congrats on your decision! I know how tough it must have been for you to make it. I recently quit my job (although it was to go back to school) and it was both terrifying and exciting all rolled into one messy little ball. I am loving the extra time I get to spend with my daughters.
I am really looking forward to hearing some budget tips from you. It has been a really tough transition for us to go down to nearly half our usual income and I know I could use all the tips I can get. :)
Wow! Congrats! From one working mom who wishes she could afford to be in your shoes!
Wow...what an exciting time for you and the family! I know you will love your decision! I look forward to your new outlook on your blog!
Congrats on making the switch! It will be fun to watch you transition into such a natural role for you.
I've told you before, but I'll say it again...
Congrats! I hope you find the peace & happiness you are striving for from life!
CONGRATULATIONS AND VERY JEALOUS!!!
That is such great news! Congratulations! I love the new blog title. Best of luck with the transition!
Well, ALL moms are working moms, and that's the truth! I'm excited for you - you've been pulled that way for quite a while, and I'm glad you and DH are taking this step! Can't wait to see what adventures are next.
I can't even explain how excited I am for you! What a great next stage lady... you are going to have an amazing time!
This is exciting and great news! I'm so happy for you! And very jealous too I must say...I hope you are doin well these days, it's been more than forever since we caught up. Maybe you, me, and Bonnie could plan something sometime, if you are interested?
Dont worry, you'll still be a "working" mom, you just wont be paid for it ;) I rememeber having his conversation when we first went back to work, leaving our infants in the care of someone else. I am very happy for you and I hope you enjoy your time with G. They are only little once..
Best Wishes! Thank you for continuing to share your journey with us. It is great to have choices and do what it best for your family.
Maybe keep "Working" in the blog title with a line through it. You can change in and out other adjectives as your journey evolves. (My adjective today is tired.)
Awesome! Congratulations! I can relate to exactly how you feel but it took me 6 years and two kids to figure it out. I have enjoyed being home for my kids and I am relishing every moment with them. I want to be their role model not some daycare worker. I realized the same as you, why was I spending my time at work and leaving the people I love the most in some one elses' care?
I can't wait to see your upcoming posts.I like your idea for the new title. Confessions from a Former Working Mom.
I always knew I would be a stay at home mom. But sometimes I wish I worked!
Hope you LOVE staying home!
I can relate. I quit my job when my son was 2 years old. I wasn't loving my job anymore either. I had a son who caught everything in the daycare.
I wanted to quit, and some other moms didn't understand.
I haven't regretted it. But it isn't to say I don't respect all the moms working outside the home.
But really you still will be working, just now only working on raising a little girl.
Congrats!
Congratulations on taking this new direction with your career and family. Being a stay at home mom takes a lot of patience but the reward is huge most days. Don't be suprised if (when) you have those days you long for adult stimulation and the escape work provided. Those feeling are absolutely normal and don't reflect on your parenting at all. It's like comparing apples and hammers... they just don't belong in the same group :)
Good luck!
Yayy for the future! How exciting! Do I wait til Dec 23rd to congratulate? Lol. I wrote a post way back when about how much I loved my mom being a stay at home mom and having the chance to do things like bake cookies at noon, when other moms are still working. Wishing you the best of luck!
oh yay! I actually think this is really exciting!!! For these same reasons you mentioned, I've been considering homeschool for my kids. I'm not committing to it yet, but I'm really looking into it. I want to be my kids primary influence and sending them off to school all day is making me feel a little torn. I don't know, it's just something I'm considering :)
I'm excited because I will be able to relate to you even MORE! I've always loved your blog, but now it's going to be so fun to read about your daily stay at home mom experiences.
I know I am late in reading this as I have been away. I returned to work after being home with my daughter for five months. I can honestly say like you I never thought of being a stay at home mom...well now I have. I was home for 5 months when my daughter was born and kept my son home with me after the first two. It was an amazing time that I cherised and have had a hard time leaving behind as I return to work. Sadly, i do not have the option to be a stay at home mom, but the good things is (unlike what you said about yourself) I love my job. It give me a sense of purpose beyond my real job of being a mom. I know for 100% sure that if I didn't love my job and everything about it I could not have returned to work. I applaud your decision to figure out what makes you happy as a mom and a woman and to know your heart and your head. Congrats
I just stumbled onto your blog and read the pregnancy post: first off, CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Second...about staying home...I also say congratulations. I stay at home too, and for the first couple years I railed against it. I wanted to stay home, but I was guilty that I didn't bring any money home...and I wish I would have just shut the hell up and enjoyed it. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy it now, and did to some degree then, but n ot as much as I could have. :(